


Beauty is in the Breeding

by Krethes



Series: Reflections of Affection [3]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Companion Piece, Fluff, M/M, Marauders Era (Harry Potter), Pre-Relationship, Summer Vacation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-05
Updated: 2021-02-05
Packaged: 2021-03-17 09:22:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29223144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Krethes/pseuds/Krethes
Summary: Companion fic to "Beautifully Broken" in which it is Remus's turn to admire the classic, timeless beauty that is Sirius Black.
Relationships: Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Series: Reflections of Affection [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2145600
Comments: 2
Kudos: 17





	Beauty is in the Breeding

**Author's Note:**

> Remus thinks in run-on sentences, I swear it's not me. :P

James and Peter left yesterday to go on family trips with their folks, James to Bermuda and Peter to Glasgow ("Why the hell would anyone _want_ to visit Glasgow?!" Sirius had jabbed) and Remus was thrilled that Sirius declined his standing offer to vacation with the Potters ("Don't want your dad to get jealous of how your mum will drool over me in my swim trunks, Prongs, would upset the happy family balance, like," Sirius had explained) and elected to stay behind for a few more days. He assured Remus that spending more time at the Lupin house was also _leagues_ better than spending it at Grimmauld Place where he'd lock himself in his room and try to ignore the strangled sounds of Regulus whacking it. While the imagery was not altogether pleasant, Remus truly appreciated the gesture.

  
  


He was in the kitchen making lemonade, watching Sirius outside through the large window. He couldn't get the other day out of his head when he'd caught Sirius _staring_ at him at the beach. He didn't understand why Sirius did it in the first place; it wasn't like he was seeing anything he hadn't seen before. They'd been housemates for some six years now, and privacy was an ill-afforded luxury between the four boys. Beyond that, Remus felt that he lacked any truly remarkable features that would warrant such unabashed staring.

  
  


Sirius, though… _Sirius_ was worth looking at. Everyone knew that. His was a beauty so classic and so timeless that it took his breath away on occasion. 

  
  


Like now, watching Sirius help his father with yard work, suffering through it without complaint even though they were forced to do it the Muggle way thanks to the area Remus's family lived in. The sun, when it decided to come out from behind the clouds, lit up his face beautifully. When it managed to sneak up on him and hit his eyes, for a moment they glowed like freshly polished silver and his lashes kissed his flushed cheek as his brows furrowed to meet above his nose when he squinted against it. As soon as the sun tucked itself in its cloud nest again, Sirius's eyes would go back to a normal, mortal gray.

  
  


Despite the heavy lifting the two men were doing, Sirius still had a white-toothed smile plastered on his face as he cracked up with Remus's father in an effort to make the time pass quicker. Remus found Sirius's expressions to be just wonderful, as ever-changing as the wind across the sea, each one unique and as dramatic as the last. Remus could usually tell what Sirius was thinking by the set of his mouth, an ability he was embarrassed to admit he possessed, even to himself. It betrayed that he'd spent a great deal of time studying the mouth in question, more time that was appropriate for two _friends_.

  
  


It was a perfect cupid's bow, not mutilated by teeth like Remus's own thin beak, and just the right shade of rose to be beautiful but not feminine. When it split open into a smile and Sirius would laugh, the world laughed with him, swept away by the joy in the simple sound, in the mirth of such a handsome individual; the world begged to be included in on the joke, to be a part of something this Adonis took pleasure in.

  
  


Remus frequently envied him for his good looks and was not proud of that. James was handsome, too, but without the limitless confidence that followed him around like a chained pet, James would only be considered "above average". Sirius's attractiveness was one hundred percent due to him being just  _ that _ good-looking. Sure, he was confident, but if even if he Peter's meekness, he would still pull off that tortured, dark prince look. His face was as if carved from polished marble, a Grecian masterpiece given breath with a kiss and brought to life.

  
  


He supposed he was most jealous of how flawless Sirius's skin was. Good breeding kept his pale face clear from blemishes and there was neither scar, nor freckle, nor mole anywhere to be seen on the other boy's body (except perhaps around some naughtier bits which Remus was unfortunately not privy to at this time, but that was all speculation). Even now after a week's worth of time out in the open sun, Sirius's face was only mildly flushed (his punishment for not utilizing the "sharp-smelling spunk-looking lotion" Remus tried to get him to use the first day. Ah, hubris.) and the only further "mismark" was a week's growth of beard, a signal that they were indeed becoming men. The Lupins had razors to spare, of course—John Lupin was a clean-shaven adult male after all—but Sirius was ridiculously terrified of slitting his precious throat open with "those unsafe Muggle torture devices" and decided to let his "face fur" grow until either he was as "furry as Moony" or until he could obtain a magic razor.

  
  


Most sixteen-year-old boys looked ridiculous with that much beard on their face, Remus included, but not Sirius. For some reason it did not detract from his looks, only added a dangerous, rogue-like element to it that Remus was sure the girls would find ever-so-attractive and Sirius would be begged by his legion of females to never shave again. Remus simply liked it for amusement purposes, as Sirius had spent a good thirty minutes trying to get all of the sand out of it earlier that morning. Remus preferred seeing the elegant lines of his jaw on display, not hidden.

  
  


As envious as he was of Sirius's dashing good looks, he supposed he didn't know what he would _do_ with all the attention he would get if he looked half as good as Sirius. His main goal at Hogwarts was to keep a low profile (a difficult, almost impossible task given his friends' proclivities for mischief) and succeed in academics (check!). Remus was very aware that he was not going to win any beauty contests even if he wasn't a mangled scrap of skin and bone.

  
  


He absent-mindedly squeezed a few more lemons into the pitcher, purposely taking as long as possible in order to line his thoughts up at a safe distance.

  
  


Sirius's posture was impeccable, too, especially when compared to Remus's father. John Lupin was just a mixed-blood wizard of no grand line or breeding and slouched as most common men did. Sirius Black, however, had proper posture and movement etiquette drilled into him from birth and even that month in third year of him deliberately slouching and dragging his feet could not change that. His slowly-growing frame (he was a hair shorter than James who was five inches shorter than Remus still) was supported by muscles because he'd seen how even skinnier Remus got when he shot up. And, as Sirius put it, he refused to be "a skinny chewed-on stick like Remus," but in the most polite way. He'd put on practical muscle that lended him the strength to clear up the debris from last night's storm.

  
  


Remus certainly did not miss how his biceps bulged when he hauled a driftwood log onto his shoulder, oh no. Or how the muscles in his back rippled with the effort.

  
  


He followed the curve of his bicep to study the line of his back when suddenly he found himself looking into piercing grey eyes filled with confidence and teasing clarity of his actions. Remus flushed scarlet and looked away suddenly, knowing he'd been found out. Great. He busied himself with finishing the lemonade, grabbed the glasses with ice, and rushed out the door before his father came to investigate his tardiness.

  
  


After handing his father a glass of lemonade, he and Sirius walked a few yards down towards the beach. It gave Remus time to summon up some Gryffindor courage and he looked Sirius full-on. "I've been staring at you all afternoon."

  
  


"Yes."

  
  


"And I'm not much inclined to stop, but I _will_ try to blink as to not raise suspicion. Does that sound fair?"

  
  


"Why, Mr. Moony, I suppose that does and I agree to your terms," Sirius responded with a sly grin. "But only if you stop lounging and help us out—you're stronger than the both of us and you _know it_ and you were making lemonade? Merlin, man!" The last bit was much louder than the first in an effort to keep Mr. Lupin from getting too suspicious about their grinning whispers.

  
  


Even as his dad clapped a heavy hand on his shoulder in agreement with Sirius, Remus shook his head with a soft smile, set down the pitcher, and resumed his work on moving rocks and seaweed, occasionally sneaking a glance at Sirius when he could manage it and secretly pleased when he caught the other boy staring back.

  
  


He was ever so happy Sirius stayed.


End file.
